A Storm Is Coming opens with a brief but effective flashback scene set in November ’84, right after the events of the original series’ second season. This is an extension of Episode 1’s prologue and features a scientist injecting various chemicals into one of the upside down vines until one mutates into the new monster. This is maybe a too simple explanation and it cuts to ’85 where Nikki’s mother is carrying out a very similar experiment on a tomato plant.
With the quickly out of the way, the episode jumps to a meeting of the H.I.C. where the kids are piecing together their evidence and planning their next moves. Mike and Will getting into a heated argument at school. The disagreement stems from Mike’s protectiveness over Eleven and Will new friendship with Nikki being seen as a threat to her safety. It escalates quickly in the hallway, resulting in Will impulsively setting off the school fire alarm as a way to create a distraction and escape the confrontation. This chaotic moment lands pair in detention alongside Nikki detention and their scene shift in the tone toward lighter, comedic (read The Breakfast Club) territory.
The episode also adds the ticking clock of an approaching blizzard to a delivers a chapter that amps up the winter isolation in Hawkins while scattering the Party on separate adventures, resulting in an episode that builds atmosphere effectively but struggles to turn into something truly gripping. As the blizzard descends on the town in late 1985, the mutant creature threat simmers in the background, forcing the kids to contend with both supernatural dangers and the mundane chaos of everyday. The detention sequences offer welcome breathing room for character banter, reminding viewers of the friendships at the story’s core, even as the storm outside mirrors the building pressures within the group.
In a surprise development, Dustin heads out on a side quest with his nemesis, Rosario. Their banter is sweet as it turns out they hate each other for no reason and Rosario’s headaches and a vision of a red light set up a deeper adventure. Meanwhile, Max and Lucas respond to a young boy’s cry for help to get his ball back that leads them into the storm-drenched sewers, where they encounter another adapted mutant entity. Their rescue effort – pulling Jeff, Dustin’s bully from the first episode, from peril – lifts heavily from the rancor scene in Return Of The Jedi and adds a layer of immediate danger that contrasts nicely with Dustin’s more exploratory path but the result is the same with the three of them all realising that there are more monsters out there.
The blizzard isn’t just set dressing—it’s a character in itself, with the animation rendering heavy flakes that obscure visibility, wind-battered trees, and icy patches that make bike travel treacherous. Sewer environments feel appropriately dank and claustrophobic under the storm’s influence, with the creature designs evolving further through vine protrusions and spore releases that echo earlier science lessons.
During detention, Mike and Nikki Baxter share a quiet but meaningful conversation about Will. Nikki gently pushes Mike on how his protective instincts might be smothering Will rather than helping him, pointing out that Will seems tired of being seen as the fragile survivor. Mike initially bristles but slowly acknowledges that his fear of losing people is making him push everyone away. The exchange adds a layer of emotional maturity to the episode and gives Nikki a stronger role beyond simply being the new kid, highlighting her observational nature and potential value to the group.
The episode builds to a cliffhanger as a mutant creature launches an attack on the school itself. The beast smashes through the doors during the storm and in the frantic final moments, with kids scrambling for safety. The sequence deliberately echoes the Demogorgon attack on the school in the first season of Stranger Things, complete with flickering lights and the Party caught in the middle of a nightmare in a place that should feel safe. While the callback is clear, the feels of déjà vu lessens the effect.
In the end, he usual blend of suspense, character camaraderie, and subtle lore progression keeps the Hawkins Investigators Club’s adventures engaging. It hopefully sets the stage effectively for the final push, hinting that the real storm, both meteorological and monstrous, is far from over.
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